The First
by EmeraldFaith
Summary: A hobbit lass moves to Buckland with her family from Bree, but she holds many secrets. What does she know about the Black Riders and the Rangers of the North? How will her knowledge affect Merry and Pippin? Plz R
1. Tears that Cannot Dry

For future reference I own, nada, none, nothing, of Tolkien's characters. I do OWN Sapphire, Merrimack, Marion and any other future characters that pop out of my wild imagination. Please don't make us mad by stealing our precious peoples. Please also do not make me, myself, & I , mad by suing us for any reason. We are innocent precious... Once again, for all of you conspirating lawyers out there, ME, MYSELF, & I DO NOT OWN ANY OF MASTER TOLKIEN'S CHARACTERS, PLACES, SETTINGS, PLOT, OR WORK. They ARE NOT mine.  
  
Now, please read. : )  
  
Tears that Cannot Dry  
  
Chapter 1  
  
As morning sunlight crept over the verge, it quietly stepped into a small room. The sweet light pried open the eyes of a young hobbit lass. She yawned and stared in affection at the sweet sun through her stained glass window. Nothing was more wonderful than watching it's palet of colors reflect off of ponds, and wrap around the fields of her father. There were only two possible words to describe it as she layed in bed. Benevolent bliss. She smiled to herself and put her head on her hand as she stared at the awakening sun. Her short brown hair fell down as she slowly pulled it out of a small bun at the back of her head, and her aquamarine eyes sparkled in the morning light, though a dreary sleepiness haunted them. She watched it rise for a few seconds and then buried her face in her pillow. 'Just a few more minutes of peacefulness. Thats all I'm asking for. I know we just moved to the Shire, but please, just a few minutes of rest...'  
  
"Saphire! Darling, it's time to wake up." Her mother swung the door open and began cleaning up her room.  
  
"Mum. I am awake."  
  
"Darling you need to get up then. Your dog has been lying next to your bed all night long and now she's left. Doesn't that have any meaning to you?"  
  
"Yes mum."  
  
"Then why aren't you-"  
  
"Because she always gets up before me. Mum, if I were to wake up at the same time she did, well, she likes getting up before me." Sapphire Willow Underhill grumbled into her pillow.  
  
"Sweety, you need to get up, your friends from Hobbiton are probably going to be coming down to welcome you."  
  
"But mum..."  
  
"I'll leave you alone and go fix breakfast. Honestly, darling, you need to get up and get ready."  
  
"Oh yes. I forgot. Society is everything." Sapphire mimicked as she rolled over.  
  
"Darling. Your younger brother is going to be up soon." Her mother informed as she slowly walked out of the room and closed the door. Instantly Sapphire jumped up and charged over to her dresser. She quickly took off her beautiful, silky night clothes and exchanged them for day clothes. She grabbed a brush and quickly combed it through her hair and then dropped it onto the bed carelessly.  
  
"Sapphire. You better make your bed..." Marion, her mother, warned from the kitchen.  
  
"But..."  
  
"You can do what ever you want after you make your bed." Sapphire quickly pulled the covers up and fluffed up the pillows. Once it was made she lay down on it carefully so as not to make a mess. Sighing she looked out the stained glass window. The fields were beautiful. New grass carressed the vision as the blinding reflection of the sun on water cut violently into the center of attention. She sighed and closed her eyes. Breathing in slowly, and relaxing she listened carefully for the light footsteps. Then she caught them. Her young brother's hobbit feet were stealthy, but were unaccustomed to the new, polished floors. Sapphire frowned, but he was always quiet on his feet. Then she caught the low key swish of fabric on the floor. He was crawling. Sapphire listened as he drew next to her bed, she could feel him lean against the bed as he attempted to silently stand up. She could feel him crouching, ready to attack. But before he could she rolled over and looked at him, a smile running across her face.  
  
"Boo!" She laughed. Merrimack stood amazed and surprised for a moment, staring at her in horror, and then broke into peals of laughter.  
  
"Come here silly." She picked him up and put him on her lap as she herself sat up. He leaned against her and looked up at her face.  
  
"I need work on crawl?"  
  
"Yes you do goose." She tweaked his nose, "What was a brave little hobbit lad like yourself doing crawling around on the floor? Such a hobbit should be riding gallantly on a horse, not wearing in his new breeches."  
  
"My knees sore." He frowned.  
  
"They probably are. There's a reason I don't crawl around on the floor you know."  
  
"You no sneak up on me." He smiled victoriously.  
  
"No 'mack. It's cause I don't want to wreck my knees." She kissed the top of his forehead.  
  
"I help da today."  
  
"Yes you do. Come on, Mum made us some breakfast." She lifted him up, placed him on the ground, and took his small hand in hers. He looked completely different than she did and the people of bree had always believed that they had adopted 'Mack. He had shining blue eyes, to replace her sparkling green. But they were also alike, they both had the same ash- brown, silky hair, and the same sunkissed skin. They also, which few people knew, had the same keen love for adventure, action, and danger.  
  
"Saphi?" He whispered, using the name he had made up for her when he got tired of her real one, "When we go back to Bree?"  
  
She smiled sadly down at him as he looked at her with hope. " 'Mack, I'm not sure if we are going back, " She bent down on her knees next to him as she saw his bottom lip tremble, "But it's okay because we can have even better adventures here. And there'll be lots more hobbits to meet."  
  
"But I want go to Bree." He stomped his foot. Sapphire sighed and hugged him.  
  
"We all do 'Mack, but we just can't besides, we get to explore unseen lands while we are here."  
  
"But I don't like Shire." He whispered.  
  
"Do you like Buckland?"  
  
"Buckland?"  
  
" 'Mack, that's where our new house is. Silly." He immediately stopped pouting and smiled.  
  
"I know. Mum has breakfast. Go!" He went behind her and started trying to push her to the table.  
  
"I'm going, I'm going!" She laughed. 


	2. Mischeif from Buckland and Tookborough

For future reference I own, nada, none, nothing, of Tolkien's characters. I do OWN Sapphire, Merrimack, Marion and any other future characters that pop out of my wild imagination. Please don't make us mad by stealing our precious peoples. Please also do not make me, myself, & I , mad by suing us for any reason. We are innocent precious... Once again, for all of you conspirating lawyers out there, ME, MYSELF, & I DO NOT OWN ANY OF MASTER TOLKIEN'S CHARACTERS, PLACES, SETTINGS, PLOT, OR WORK. They ARE NOT mine.  
  
Authors note: Sapphire has several nicknames : Merrimack ('Mack) calls her Saphi, her dad (Otho) calls her Gem, her friends call her Saph, her name is pronounced Safire, or in her friends case, Safi or Saf. Sapphire calls her younger broth 'Mack, because he hates his full name.  
  
PLZ R&R It would be greatly appreciated!!!!  
  
Mischeif from Buckland and Tookburough  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Sapphire toyed with the food in front of her.  
  
"Mum?" She asked hopefully.  
  
"Eat it darling."  
  
"Otho?"  
  
"Gem. Can't you learn from your brother? He's eaten twice as much as there is on your plate."  
  
"Darling just finish it."  
  
"But Mum I'm not hungry." Sapphire argued. Her younger brother was now proceeding to race around the room.  
  
"Da! Da! Look me! I'm on horse!! Saphi! Look! I ride. I g-ga-gallant warrior." Sapphire glared at her parents for a second and then turned towards her younger brother, she couldn't help but laugh as she looked down on him. Every pore in his body was used to soaking up attention, and he loved it. Merrimack was sitting on a small, wooden horse his dad had bought for him and attempting to ride it across the room. While her parent's weren't looking Sapphire quickly shoved the food off of her plate onto her brother's plate and jumped up.  
  
"Look's like there's more for 'Mack." She announced, to which he squealed and ran back to his plate anxiously. Sapphire grabbed her pack and threw it over her shoulder. "Guess I'm all done. See you later!" Before her parents could respond Sapphire jumped out the front door and slammed it shut. She ran as fast as she could down the pathway in their garden and quickly hopped over the fence that marked their land. Sapphire glanced up to the door. They weren't coming after her. 'Probably think it'll do me and them some good to socialize with the world.' She thought to herself bitterly. Sapphire dusted herself off quickly and straightened up. She began walking down the road towards no where. She looked behind herself to see a female hobbit peering over her family's front gate. Sapphire shaded her eyes and watched the figure. It was easy to tell who it was.  
  
" Estella!! What are you doing?! I'm back here." The hobbit quickly turned on her heel and looked. Estella's golden curly locks fell down to her side as she examined the surrounding hobbits and searched for Sapphire. Then she caught sight of her. Instantly she charged over and hugged Sapphire.  
  
"Saph, I'm so sorry about your Uncle! I just heard the other day. It's hard to believe you're actually here. In the Shire, that is." She whispered as the two hugged. Sapphire felt a lump swell in her throat. Her uncle. He was gone now. She would never hear his rough coarsing laugh again as he reminisced a tale long gone. Never see the twinkle in his eye as he watched her and Merrimack open presents and gifts from lands long forgotten. Never see him fend for his family, never see his grand smile, never see him treat them like they were his own children. Never again would she see her mother's brother.  
  
"There's no reason to apologize, besides I've gotten over it." Upon recieving a skeptical look from Estella, Sapphire decided to continue, "Honestly it's fine. We barely even knew him. I am fine! Besides, I got out of Bree and we are here now aren't we?"  
  
"True..." Estella accepted reluctantly. "I have to show you around now don't I!! Now where should we start at... are you hungry?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Estella Bolger and Sapphire Underhill quickly climbed the nearest tree as the sound of hounds approached.  
  
"Those fools Merriadoc and Peregrin have a habit of lifting from Maggot. Unfortunately for them they have a strong habit for getting caught." Estella quickly explained, "They go straight through Maggot's garden. I doubt they even know about all the apple, plum, pear, and orange trees around here." Sapphire found a comfortable chair like section of branches and sat down. Estella let her legs and dress rest along the long tree limb. Sapphire laid her head back and looked up at the intertwined branches, she reached up and plucked an apple that hung loosely.  
  
"Can we eat these?" She asked while inspecting it over.  
  
"Of course. Farmer Maggot doesn't grow anything unsanitary or unedible. So what happened with you Uncle?" Estella asked casually, trying to pretend that she was partially uninterested.  
  
"I don't know. We just found out he was dead." She whispered. But it was much more different than that. She had seen it from her bedroom window. She would never forget.  
  
Merrimack ran outside. She smiled down at him. He was full of innocence, Mum was always saying he was born a Brandybuck-Took in an Underhill family. She had said the same thing about Sapphire when she was young. 'Mack dug through the mud and grabbed a small toy he had dropped earlier that day. It was a small stuffed rabbit that he had always adored. Then something went wrong. She would never know what, but her Uncle who was outside stiffened at the same time as Summer, her dog, jumped up from where she was asleep and began to frantically bark at the window. Sapphire felt it too. Every pore in her body froze, and her teeth began to chatter as cold seemed to leak into her from all sides even though the fire place still blazed next to her. One of them came up and began talking to her Uncle. She could still hear his dulled voice through the thick window.  
  
"Merrimack. Go inside. Now." The urgency was there, and so was fear. Merrimack looked at his Uncle skeptically and continued what he was doing. A passerby kicked her brother to the ground. She stiffened at her windowseat but was unable to move. She watched as her brother got up and began to cry. They were silent tears, as fearful ones are. He ran over to his Uncle.  
  
"Go in now Merrimack." Her uncle ordered, and for once Mack obeyed, if not reluctantly. One of the Big Folk, except in black clothing and chains had been watching her Uncle the entire time. She watched as her Uncle grabbed his vibrant sword and unsheathed it. Allowing the world to see it as Mum tucked Mack into bed. He held up his hands and whispered something, almost as if being submissive. "You will not hurt my family?" Her Uncle asked as he dropped his sword to his side.  
  
"No. I will do them no harm. I am simply searching for a hobbit from the Shire by the name of Underhill or Baggins. Do you know of one?" The rugged ranger had asked.  
  
"I am sorry but I cannot help you. I have only been in town for one day."  
  
"Thank you Master Hobbit." The ranger had bowed low and left. But her Uncle did know a Baggins, she had considered, he was very good friends with Mister Bilbo Baggins. She had watched as her Uncle sighed and dropped his sword down on a bench. Then the cloaked man moved forward with unnatural gliding speed. It had dropped down and grabbed his throat, bring it's own sword out. He reached desperately for his own but it was not within reach.  
  
"Baggins?!" It screeched, it's voice pierced her ears.  
  
"No. I don't know any-"  
  
"Shire?!"  
  
"No. I know nothing of-" But the creature had lifted a blade to his throat. Sapphire had screamed so loud that the creature looked up at her. She looked into darkness of the darkest coldest, most hopeless night as she looked into it's eyes. Shivers had run down her back but she still got control of herself.  
  
"Otho! Something's got Uncle!!" She had yelled as she ran down the stairs. She had tumbled over herself, but nothng had stopped her. When she got to the bottom of the stairs she picked up her Uncle's shining sword and was ready to meet her foe. But when she looked, the street was abandoned. Besides her uncle's body and the creature's sword. She fell to her knees beside him.  
  
"Uncle?" She had whispered.  
  
"Sapphire. I want you to have that sword. Tell your parent's to get out of Bree. All of you. It isn't safe. Get your father for me now." But there was a real reason why he sent her off. He didn't want her to see him die, she hadn't seen it, but the creature had slit open his sides and his throat, leaving him to bleed within minutes, to death.  
  
But that wasn't it. They had come back. On the night of her Uncle's funeral her dreams were riddled with darkness. She was in a lake, an empty lake, all alone. But then she saw people drowning, her friends and family, all around her. She couldn't move, she could only watch. Tears damned in her eyes as unbelievable pain cut through her. She couldn't move, only watch as they called her name.  
  
She was being pulled away suddenly, and found herself in the darkest night there was. She took a breath, but could not breath. Her chest seemed pushed against herself. Choking her, and clutching her breath. Sapphire coughed loudly to clear her throat, but when she went to breath, her throat caught. Sapphire felt her eyes water.  
  
"You see how we live?" The familiar voice screeched, "You see what happens? Tell us of Baggins and we let you go." She couldn't breath, her friends were drowning, all they needed to know was of Bilbo. But then the light jerked on, distantly. Her eyes sprang open to see the two demons beside her bed. "Get out of my house you devils! Get away from my daughter!" She heard her father yell. She couldn't breathe, her face turned red, and then black crept around the edges of her sight, and she fainted. The next morning they moved to the Shire.  
  
"Saph? You don't look well. Do you need a medic?" Estella asked. Sapphire slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air. It tasted so sweet as it filled her lungs with beautiful life.  
  
"No Stella, you should stop worrying so much." Sapphire laughed and jumped down to the ground from her spot.  
  
"The hobbits of Bree are strange," Sapphire heard Estella whisper to herself, "Sapphire. You stopped breathing for a moment, and your eyes were watering."  
  
"I was having a bad dream. A dream of what was and could have been."  
  
"What's that s'posed to mean?" An unfamiliar voice asked. Sapphire spun on her heel and turned wide-eyed to a smiling stranger.  
  
"Oh. Merriadoc, leave and spare us from your presence." Estella groaned from up the tree. Merriadoc had sunkissed skin, deep, analyzing, beautiful, gray-blue eyes, dirty blonde curls and a wide smile.  
  
"Ah. Estella. Didn't know that you lived in a tree, though I've expected it for quite some time now." Merriadoc teased her.  
  
"Merry. You should keep moving. Pippin's coming and that means the Farmer's dogs aren't far behind."  
  
" You would be right to move on too, my dear friend's baby sister, because Farmer Maggot isn't the kindest in the world to hobbits, even lasses, who come into touch with his prized apples."  
  
"Merriadoc Brandybuck! I am not anyone's baby sister!!"  
  
" 'Stella, before you lose your head, would you mind handing me my bag?" Sapphire called up, as Estella was ready to spring down.  
  
"Saph, catch. He's right, we better run. But Merriadoc, I'll make good to kill you later." Estella growled.  
  
"ESTELLA! MY BAG!"  
  
"Right..." Estella grabbed the knap sack and tossed it down to Sapphire.  
  
"Wot you got in there?" Merry asked curiously, looking over her shoulder.  
  
"Apples." Sapphire smiled and began running towards the fence.  
  
"Merry!!! Farmer Maggot's coming!!" A highly accented voice called from behind them.  
  
"I know Pip! Keep running! Once we get off his field he'll have no evidence." Merry called back to him.  
  
"What about those?" Sapphire asked as they neared the fence, pointing to the numerous vegetables he held.  
  
"Oh, these. These aren't evidence against us, they're just a snack!"  
  
"A mighty big snack!" Estella yelled from in front of them.  
  
"Fine then, second breakfast."  
  
The three hobbits quickly hopped the fence and looked at the surrounding fields for somewhere to hide.  
  
"We've run out of luck. There isn't a single spot to hide." Merry moaned as he looked at the large expanse of land.  
  
"You may be out of luck," Sapphire stated, "but I'm not." She quickly jogged down to the hillside, and seemingly stepped into it.  
  
"Saph?"  
  
"It's a crevice. You two hide there. I will help your friend before he gets caught." Sapphire ordered and headed back up to the fence. She quickly dodged behind one of the thicker poles and waited. Within moments she heard the steady pace of feet.  
  
"Merry?! Where are you?!" The voice yelled again.  
  
"Pippin!" Sapphire heard Merry yell exasperatedly from the crevice, "Get over the fence!" But then, it was more worried than anything. She heard the hobbit stumble up to the fence, and proceed in tripping over it.  
  
"Ow." She heard him whisper from beside her, and she fought to withstand bursting out into laughter,  
  
"Merry?" He asked, looking over at the blank fields. But then the dogs howling voices, carried by the wind, were closer than before. He heard them too. "Merry?" He asked again, except more desperately. Sapphire sighed and pulled him down not a moment before the dogs came into eye range. She covered his mouth with her hand over his mouth and did not breath. The gentle pad of the dogs feet on the ground, and the ferocious sniffs as they searched for their quarry met their ears. Then another voice called out.  
  
"Come on boys. They're long gone by now." Then the voice and the dogs slowly retreated. Sapphire dropped her hand from the hobbit's mouth and leaned back. She sighed with relief as he examined her.  
  
"Thank you for rescuing me." He whispered.  
  
"You are welcome." Sapphire smiled.  
  
"Pippin Took of Tookburough." He held out his hand.  
  
"Sapphire Underhill of Bree, or well, now I suppose, of Buckland." She took his hand and shook it, "Pleasure to meet you Pippin."  
  
"You're from Bree?" Pippin asked. For the first time she examined him. He had emerald eyes that sparkled with mischief, and curiosity, he had autumn- brown hair.  
  
"Yes." She nodded, trying to avoid this conversation was proving difficult in the Shire. Sapphire's luck held through though, because in a moment Merry came up the hill, to where they sat, furiously.  
  
"Hullo Merry." Pippin whispered weakly.  
  
"Pippin! You have got to keep up, from now on. We lost most of the crop."  
  
"Merry, you need to slow down. Besides, you were the one dropping all of the food. I was tripping over lettuce as I ran."  
  
"Both of you, do not start up an argument quite yet. Here's something to eat." Sapphire broke up the argument quickly and reached into her pack. She quickly drew out an apple for each of them and tossed it at them.  
  
"Sapphire, we should be getting out of here, it is not wise to stay with these two crooks for long." Estella announced as she came up.  
  
"Crooks?!" Pippin asked innocently.  
  
"Sapphire? Is that your name?" Merry asked, "I was beginning to think you were called Saph..." He joked.  
  
"Sapphire Underhill of Br--," she quickly corrected herself, "Buckland."  
  
"Merriadoc Brandybuck of Buckland." Merry did an elaborate bow and smiled up at them. Estella giggled from beside Sapphire. "What were you planing on saying before you said Buckland."  
  
"Bree!" Pippin shouted out, but when he recieved a glare from Sapphire he looked down at his feet.  
  
"Bree?!" Merry began.  
  
"She has recieved a death in her family, and would rather not talk about either Bree nor the death." Estella butted in. Sapphire smiled at her and mouth 'Thank you.' Stella just nodded to her.  
  
"I was wondering if you knew a Bilbo Baggins?" Sapphire suggested hopefully.  
  
"Bilbo?! Everyone in the Shire knows Bibo. Although, there are only a select few that are his friends." Merry announced.  
  
" I know Bilbo, you know, after all he is my first cousin once removed. While Frodo is my second cousin once removed on his mother's side and my third cousin twice removed on his father's side." Pippin explained. "Frodo is my-" Merry began. "Merry, she just moved to Buckland, spare her from genealogy for at least a small time." Estella quickly interupted. "Pippin, Merry, I have to go help out Fatty today, would you mind showing Sapphire around in Hobbiton? She's never been there before." "And seeing as you are so interested," Pippin spoke to Sapphire, "We could drop by Bilbo and Frodo's while we are there."  
  
"And of course we could indulge in the Proudfoots' kindness."  
  
"A HA! You are the ones who have been stealing poor old Mrs. Proudfoot's berries. I knew it!" Estella shouted.  
  
"Fine then, we won't indulge in her berries... this time, but you must promise not to tell anyone."  
  
"Deal." Estella smiled, "For a price." 


End file.
